Mumbai: Alarmed at the heavy turnout of pro-democracy supporters in the two days of voting for Primaries in Hong Kong, on July 11 and July 12, China used its new draconian legislation, National Security Law (NSL) to crackdown on the pro-democracy supporters. Despite the summer heat, out of the 7.5 million Hongkongers, 6 million of them voted, spooking the Chinese no ends.
Meet 27 year old Joshua Wong, student protestor who has been leading the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong since 2014. He and his supporters Agnes Chow-ting, Nathan Law and others have disbanded their pro-democracy outfit @Demosisto immediately after the Hong Kong police began the crackdown.
Efforts by thenews21 to reach out to the Demosisto so far have not evoked any response as it appears that they might have been arrested or gone underground. Under the new NSL, China has banned display of placards, banners and posters. Wong and his supporters have devised a novel way of registering their protest by simply holding or pasting blank sheets of paper as mark of their protest.
Nearly 6 million Hongkongers turned up at the 250 polling stations across Hong Kong to cast their ballot in what Joshua Wong describes as the last pro-democracy Primary elections. Nearly, 5,92,000 Hongkongers opted to cast their ballot Online, while about 21,000 used paper ballots.
The huge turnout by the pro-democracy supporters spooked the Chinese authorities so much that even as the voting began, Hong Kong police searched the office of Independent pollster Robert Chung of Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (HKPORI) which had helped organise the elections. The crackdown has meant that the results of the Primaries will never be known officially.
In a series of tweets @joshuawongcf, Joshua Wong writes “When #China attempts to crush dissents with fear and force, nearly 6,00,000 #Hkers have used our actions today to ward off fear, cast ballots in this first and may be last #hkprimaries and proved to the world that our spirit of resistance will not be killed.”
“Even after sweeping #nationalsecuritylaw comes into force, Hkers have shown our determination for democracy, by protesting with blank white papers and casting ballots in #Hkprimaries in order to let our voices be heard by the world”, said Joshua Wong.
In another tweet Wong expresses apprehension over his own safety, says he “with our unbeatable determination for liberty, the draconian law makes the beginning of #Hkers real struggle for freedoms without fear. No matter what will happen to me in the future, I will continue taking part in local protests and international advocacy.”
He further tweets, “If my voice will not be heard soon, I hope that the International community will continue to speak up for Hong Kong and step up concrete efforts to defend our last bit of freedom.”
In one of his tweets, Joshua Wong sums up the cause and resolve of the pro-democracy Hongkongers, “We vote as we want to speak freely. We vote as we oppose arbitrary arrest & censorship we vote as we want our kids can live w/o fear. We vote as we want our voices heard by the world. We vote as we still can.”
Joshua Wong appears to have had the premonition of what was in store for him from the Chinese authorities as he tweeted, “free from political censorship this primary is the first, and probably the last Primary election for pro-democracy camps since #hkgov has already accused the primaries of breaching the #nationalsecuritylaw.”
The baby faced Joshua Wong shot to prominence while he led the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong for the first time in 2014. He says that he was forced to take the lead as he could not bear the silence of his elders and seniors to the brutal oppression of the Chinese. China terms him as a “black hand” of foreign forces.
